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High-Efficiency, High-Power Laser Transmitter for Deep-Space Communication

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: NNX09CD82P
Agency Tracking Number: 084398
Amount: $100,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: O1.06
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2008
Award Year: 2009
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2009-01-22
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2009-07-22
Small Business Information
1275 W Roosevelt Rd, Ste 104
West Chicago, IL 60185-4815
United States
DUNS: 101351505
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Tony Moretti
 Principal Investigator
 (630) 562-9433
 tmoretti@vegawave.com
Business Contact
 Alan Sugg
Title: Business Official
Phone: (630) 562-9433
Email: arsugg@vegawave.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

There is demand for vastly improved deep space satellite communications links. As data rates dramatically increase due to new sensor technologies and the desire to pack even more sensors on spacecraft, it is imperative that new solutions be compact in size, light in weight, be high speed, and highly power efficient. Traditional RF links suffer 1/r2 losses, resulting in low received power, thereby limiting overall data rates. NASA has recognized optical links offer potential improvements in power and in size due to a substantially narrower beam and smaller components. An ideal technology for such links is a laser transmitter master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) using pulse position modulation techniques. Previous work has demonstrated laser transmitter MOPAs up to 100 MHz with wall plug efficiencies up to 18.9% and operating at 1064nm which requires bulky optical components. There still is room for improvement utilizing additional techniques to further increase efficiency and size reduction. This proposal addresses these improvements using several techniques.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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